


A Lion at the Station

by RaspberryDevil



Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternative Universe - Bungou Stray Dogs, Ambiguous Relationships, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Binary Sakuma Jirou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23742517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaspberryDevil/pseuds/RaspberryDevil
Summary: They sigh. Koujirou had always taken them seriously, never belittling them for being one of the lower rank executives. Even though he is stronger than them and has any reason to look down on them.But he doesn't and it's one of the many reasons they have fallen in love with him.
Relationships: Fudou Akio & Sakuma Jirou, Genda Koujirou/Sakuma Jirou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	A Lion at the Station

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SakuPenguin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuPenguin/gifts).



> 'A Bsd au means so much research because you want to get the setting right are you sure that you don't want to pick the other prompt' she asks herself while she's already looking up names of Japanese authors and does research on their work after making sure that they don't come up in the manga. Anyway, here we are.  
> For anyone who doesn't know this series, you only need to know that the mangaka wanted to write about famous writers as teenagers with abilities inspired by their literary works. That's also why I use their first names since I didn't find authors with their last name. 
> 
> Tl;dr: Dear Chu, I hope you enjoy this gensaku!

Jirou really tries to be patient with him, but it's difficult considering the circumstances. To their defence, Akio enjoys to tease them and make fun of them for their supposedly 'secret affair'. Little jabs varying from ' _is that a message of your lover you're smiling at_ ' to ' _why don't you call your boyfriend to help you with these criminals?_ '.

  
  


Unfortunately, that's just who he is and Jirou long since stopped getting angry because of his teasing. After all he's still someone they begrudgingly trusts so there's that.

  
  


“Did I get this right? You have Koujirou in one of our safe houses after the two of you were attacked by the police. You for being part of the port mafia and him for a misunderstanding I haven't really understood but we know the police is dumb so it's not a surprise. And instead of asking for backup you're patching him up. And now you're asking me to cover for you.“

  
  


Oh, he's enjoying it. That bastard. Now they are really going to punch him. Honestly, what does he want to hear? That Jirou knows how illogically that sounds? That they should have left him to fend for himself? They feel no need to confirm that he understood the situation correctly, so they just tell him their coordination and hang up on him.

(They are sure that Akio shows up. He always does. Even though he pretends otherwise, they are not just partners but friends.)

  
  


Taking a deep breath and knowing that there is nothing else they can do until Koujirou wakes up, they have no choice but to wait. At least both of them are okay.

  
  


The only reason Koujirou is still alive is because of his ability, his body which can turn into a lion healing quicker than that of a normal person. Well, to be fair, healing quicker than that of a person with an ability as well. Not just are healing skills rare, those who can use their ability to recover quick are also not often heard of. There had been a reason for the bounty on his head.

  
  


Though that's already a thing of the past.

  
  


Overall, a lot of things are different than they used to be. Various relationships between the Mafia and Agency emerged, changing the way things were handled. Even though most of them were kept in secret, Jirou is pretty sure that their leader knows about most of these connections. After all it's good to know which ability they can make use of for an operation.

  
  


Obviously, that is not helping too much with the perception of their own usefulness. Jirou had always been a bit envious when it had come to other people's abilities. They wanted to be useful as well. They were, probably, in some way. There is no use for deadweight in the port mafia. It's just not obvious at the first glance, how a non-violent ability was helpful. It still confuses those who learn about their ability for the first time, that they made a name for themselves. It's always fun to see when they figure out that they weren't able to kill with it, that it's not a reason for their rank.

Jirou's skill was looking into time.

Some would call it foresight. But all they could see was how things ended. Not necessarily deaths. They had seen how Kouiirou's first meeting with the Detective Agency had happened without knowing who he was at that point. How Tatsuya had left them before the other one had realised himself that this is what his heart desired.

  
  


Jirou still wonders if things could have been different if they hadn't kept this a secret back then. Because any of them would have stopped him, wouldn't have allowed one of their strongest executive to turn against them. But they hadn't, for the same reason that they haven't told anyone that they had identified the werelion as the young man they'd seen when using their ability. Loyalty was important. At the same time, it's necessary to keep some information so that they can use and reveal it at the right time.

It's one of the most frustrating things, that despite of their ability to see the past, present and future, their influence on it, the possibility to change it, wasn't stronger than those of other people. But it also wasn't less strong, so they try to make the best of it.

Thankfully, Jirou also knows how to use a gun and knives. A blade to your throat does wonders about taking someone else seriously.

  
  


They sigh. Koujirou had always taken them seriously, never belittling them for being one of the lower rank executives. Even though he is stronger than them and has any reason to look down on them.

But he doesn't and it's one of the many reasons they have fallen in love with him.

  
  


At this point, Jirou just wants to lay down next to him, forgetting about the rest of the world. It takes all of their willpower to keep their hands to themselves, instead of holding his hand while waiting for him to wake up. Though they can't leave their eyes off of him. And so, when Koujirou wakes up, they are still starring at him.

  
  


“You're awake. Good. We can't stay here. Do you need something to drink or eat?”

  
  


Jirou gets up to get a glass of water before he can reply, ignores the other one's silence and how he doesn't move to sit up. When they pretend that nothing happened, maybe he won't bring up the starring and they don't have to hear him calling them creepy.

  
  


“Once you think you're well enough, you can contact your people. We -”

  
  


“We could leave together.“

  
  


It's the first thing he says and probably one of the cruellest. Jirou can tell that he doesn't mean leaving this house together before parting ways at the usual spot (and isn't it weird that they even have such a place, the little café tucked away in an alley, away from the noise of the streets?). But that's the thing, isn't it, that they always know what the other one means, even though they don't even know each other for longer than two years. Jirou hates this, how easy they feel attracted to someone else.

  
  


“Ah, forget it.”

  
  


Now he's embarrassed. Good. No, not good, but it means they can ignore it. Jirou can't leave, not until their debt had been paid. Because if the mafia hadn't saved them back then... they could have lost both of their eyes.

(Had lost one eye because some fanatics had though that they were able to use their foresight when they had their eyes. Thankfully, it hadn't affected their ability, but they are still bitter about it – at least those guys weren't able to hurt anyone else, thanks to Akio.)

  
  


Jirou places a tray with some tea in front of him which forces Koujirou to sit up after all; they have to resist the urge to help him, to place a hand against his back and leave it there in silent comfort. There is no food but a few biscuits which Koujirou goes for first.

  
  


“I'd offer you the possibility to take a shower, but at this point, I think it's better to get you home. Your agency needs to make sure that this doesn't happen again. How did this misunderstanding with the police happen in the first place?”

  
  


Koujirou nibbles at his food, apparently deep in thoughts. Not that Jirou expected a real answer in the first place. While they don't know what he's thinking, they assume that there is nothing they can say to keep the conversation going. That is, until he blurts out an “Can you do it again?“ which takes Jirou by surprise. It's a sudden change of topic, but it doesn't take them long to understand what he means by that. Though it doesn't help them to find the right reaction.

  
  


You normally don't ask someone else to use their ability. At least not someone from a different organisation. Not someone in their position. They hesitate which Koujirou takes as a sign to backtrack.

  
  


“Just. I don't know, we - ”

  
  


Jirou takes their card our of their pocket, the action silencing Koujirou and any attempt at a flimsy excuse. It's a picture of a train station, a symbol they had chosen themselves for their journey. A beginning. A stop. An end. It could be any picture as long as it had any meaning to them. But Jirou hadn't used any other since ages.

  
  


_/The stationmaster/_

  
  


They focus on the photo, but just like all the other times, they don't get a clear picture. Hazy and nebulous. Even though Koujirou doesn't see what they do, Jirou's silence speaks enough. He can't help smiling.

  
  


“Do you know what it means?“

  
  


“Are you going to explain my own ability to me?“

  
  


They had a guess. But it was a scary thought. Koujirou didn't seem to be too scared of it.

  
  


“That we're staying together for a really long time. So long in the future that you can't see it ending.“

  
  


He reaches for their hand. Jirou allows it. Allows the kiss placed on the back of their hand after that. Against their knuckles. And then Koujiro pulls them in a hug. They are in their early twenties, but it's been ages since someone hold them like this. Not that some of the Mafia aren't affectionate. It's just that Jirou doesn't allow most of them to come close enough. The stronger the ability, the lesser the possibility of someone using you and the more affectionate you are in return.

  
  


But Koujirou is the first one in ages who initiates such close contact. It hits Jirou, then, how close it had been; they had almost lost him. Maybe he had been right. They would stick together. Yet they can't bring themselves to return the hug. Even though the urge is there, an itch to embrace him and to never let go.

The other one seems to realise their inner struggle and lets go, sending them an apologetic smile.

  
  


“I guess I'll better call Ryuuji... Tell him that I'm still alive.“

  
  


“Sure...”

  
  


His phone lies next to him on neatly folded spare clothes. They are sure that he wasn't going to change into them, even if his clothes were dirty, but it had felt rude not to offer something. Same with the tea and the food.

  
  


Ryuuji picks up after the second ring.

  
  


“Koujirou! I'm glad to hear from you! Tatsuya mentioned that you got in trouble and we were a bit worried.”

  
  


“Thank you, but I'm fine. I knows it's not easy... But can you locate me and send someone over?“

  
  


Stupid question. He'd always find a way. He could see it. Koujirou had asked him to describe it, once, how his ability worked, but it didn't translate well. It's the same with Jirou's ability. And they had trouble understanding what it means to become a beast, though it also was difficult for him to describe with words what it meant to transform. To look different and yet be the same, to feel like it's him and yet like there is something else.

  
  


“Sure. But I bet the mafia is on their way.“

  
  


“No. Not this time“, Jirou says, the apartment so quiet that he can hear Ryuuji well enough, “at least not to interfere.”

  
  


Speaking of the devil, (and really, that guy knows how to time his arrival), the space between the doorframe to the room they are in glows. Koujirou tenses, but relaxes when Jirou puts a hand on his shoulder. The first time Jirou had seen it, they had been confused. Nobody had told them why most of the safe houses had unhinged doors. When they had been at Akio's place for the first time, there had been no doors as well.

And then, one day, they've seen it for the first time.

  
  


It's always a spectacle. The space shimmers before there is a light. When it's gone, it's leaving an actual door behind which Akio steps through.

  
  


“Are you done being domestic?“, he asks in greeting, grinning.

  
  


“Oh shut up“, Jirou grumbles, keeping their hands to themselves; they didn't want to waste the last minutes with Koujirou strangling their partner.

  
  


“Whatever. Let's go“

  
  


Jirou waits until Akio turns his back to them. Then they turn to Koujrou and – before he has time to anticipate it – kiss him.

  
  


“See you later. You still owe me that parfait you promised before we'd been interrupted.“

  
  


Koujirou just stares at them, Ryuuji on the other line ignored, and watches how Jirou leaves through the gate. When it closes behind them and thus vanishes, he buries his head in his hands. There is laughter from the other line, probably not because he had seen what happened but hear his pathetic whine. Koujirou wants the ground to open and swallow him up.

  
  


He really is in deep this time, huh? He can't leave, not like this, even if he had proposed the idea. There was work to do at the agency and he did owe them for taking him in. Despite of that, he had been serious.

And whatever anyone else might say, he truly wants to believe in a future with the other one.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this! A fair warning: I just took their first names and looked up authors. I did some research but time and language barrier means that I can't depict anything that accurately. 
> 
> For Sakuma, I went with Asada Jirō. Sakuma's ability is called after a short story collection (and thus one of its stories) called The Stationmaster.
> 
> For Genda I only found Serizawa Kōjirō but even before that I wanted to make him a werelion due to his goalkeeper technique. His ability is called 'the fate of human' (Ningen no unmei) which is apparently an autobiographical novel.
> 
> For Fudou I went with Miyazawa Akio who is a Japanese dramatist and writer. I was going to name his ability after his story “Search Engine System Crash“ since it sounded so rebellious. I settled on “Entrance to new town“ (Nyūtaun iriguchi ) which is a one-act play instead for plot reasons.
> 
> There was no Ryuuji or someone with his last name, so I went with Mitsuse Ryuu (an alias). His novel Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights ('Hyakuoku no Hiru to Sen’oku no Yoru') combines mythology and science fiction and along with it being an alias I think fits his theme.


End file.
